Tentative settlement reached in torture case

Tentative settlementreached in torture case
NEW YORK -- A tentative settlement has been reached in a civil lawsuit brought by a Haitian immigrant tortured in a police station in 1997, the Daily News reported today.
Under terms of the proposal, Abner Louima would receive $9 million from the city and the Police Benevolent Association. In return, he would drop his demand for reform in the way the New York Police Department deals with officers accused of crimes.
The proposed settlement was distributed to the parties Tuesday. Both sides are scheduled to meet March 28 to sign the deal, barring any disagreement, the News reported.
If finalized, the settlement would close the ugliest chapter in the department's history. Louima's beating sparked protests and led to convictions of six officers.
When Louima filed the suit in federal court in 1998, he said that officers and the police union conspired to create a "blue wall of silence and lies to obstruct justice."
Teens tell lawmakersabout Ecstasy use
WASHINGTON -- As Ecstasy use continues to spread among the nation's youth, two recovering teen-agers testified before a Senate panel that the harmful effects of Ecstasy far outweigh the feelings of euphoria and escape they felt while taking the drug.
Ecstasy is part stimulant and part hallucinogen and is usually available in pills that look like candy. They tend to be small and brightly colored and can be disguised in such things as candy bracelets, Pez dispensers and mint tins.
Both the teens who testified before the Senate Drug Caucus on International Narcotics Control on Wednesday said they used the drug in casual situations with groups of friends. They were identified only by their first names, Vinnie and Michelle.
"I think parents know it deep inside that it's a problem but in a way they're afraid to admit it at first," said Vinnie, who is 16.
"I would lie, cheat and steal to get Ecstasy and I was never the type to do those sort of things," said Michelle, who is 17. "But once it got ahold of me, it didn't let go. Ecstasy made me feel as though I didn't have a problem in the world. Everything was wonderful and I had no inhibitions while I was under the influence."
Michelle, who has been clean for a year and a half, said she had been using other drugs before taking Ecstasy. Michelle and Vinnie are now enrolled in recovery programs.
Taliban envoy seeks improved relations
WASHINGTON -- Stung by international criticism of its destruction of ancient statues of Buddha, Afghanistan's Taliban government sent a special envoy to Washington on Wednesday to negotiate with the Bush administration about ending the country's economic isolation.
In an interview with Knight Ridder Newspapers, Taliban envoy Sayed Rahmatullah Hashimi said the Taliban is willing to discuss the fate of Osama bin Laden, the Saudi Arabian millionaire who is living in Afghanistan and whom U.S. officials say is a leading sponsor of international terrorism.
Hashimi said he delivered a message from Afghanistan's ruling cleric, Sheikh Muhammad Omar, to the State Department, asking that problems between the two countries be resolved soon.
U.S. officials have been sharply critical of Afghanistan's role in drug trafficking and of the Taliban's human rights record, but the biggest problem is bin Laden. The United States has accused the fugitive Islamic militant of masterminding the 1998 bombings of its embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, and it demands that the Taliban turn him over for trial.
Secret Service wantsstreet to stay closed
WASHINGTON -- President Bush's security experts oppose reopening Pennsylvania Avenue to cars and trucks in front of the White House, despite the view of some members of Congress and local officials that "America's Main Street" should be fully open to the public.
"Any plan that would permit vehicles within the currently established security perimeter will not protect the president and the White House complex," Secret Service Director Brian L. Stafford said Wednesday at a congressional hearing.
The Secret Service closed off an eight-block area surrounding the White House with concrete wall barriers shortly after an explosion killed 160 people at the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City on April 19, 1995.
Although the concrete has been replaced with massive planters and decorative posts, more than three blocks of "America's Main Street" remain inaccessible to all but authorized vehicles.
Combined dispatches